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Why My Son Has Green Hair
My 15 year old son has green hair. Before that it was pink with dyed with colorful flowers. And before that it was half pink, half purple. What I tell myself is I don’t care anymore. He’s the youngest of six. I’ve been parenting for 29 years and I’m tired. But of course, I care. I care about his health, mentally and physically. I care about his heart and if he’s kind to others (he’s not when he plays video games. We’re working on that). I care about his goals and what I can do to support him. What I don’t care about, is his hair color. I wasn’t always…
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When a Child is Suicidal
The text read “I did something dumb. Please take care of Lily” It was late, I usually don’t hear my texts come in or my phone ring. But I did that night. I called my daughter or she called me. It’s a blur. She had taken a bunch of pills. Washed them down with alcohol. She still sounded fine but groggy. I didn’t panic, I felt calm. I was 400 miles away and she didn’t need my chastisement or probing questions. She needed her mom. The thing is, we had been here before. Makenzie started feeling depression and anxiety in college. She was always my strong-willed, wear-her-heart-on-her-sleeve, sensitive girl. There…
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Runaway Mom
I think every mom has thought about it. Just getting in the car and running away. As I was getting my hair done with my beloved hairdresser, who also has countless kids, we were bemoaning the lack of gratitude in our teenagers. As long as there is food, clean clothes, and constant Wi-Fi at home, they are mostly content. They growl “yes” and “no” from in front of their screens and somedays barely acknowledge our existence. I said out loud to her that I wanted to run away and see how long it took for them to notice. The day I made that statement was Valentine’s Day. I made sugar…